Qld Teacher Avoids Jail Over Child Porn

A former Queensland primary school teacher caught with thousands of pornography images who admitted to battling an "addiction" to the sickening material has avoided time behind bars.

Maximilian Ernst Hodgess fronted the Brisbane District Court on Thursday, having pleaded guilty to one count each of using a carriage service to access child pornography material and possessing child exploitation material.

Judge Terry Martin sentenced the 44-year-old to terms of 18 and 12 months respectively but ordered he be released immediately, noting efforts made to rehabilitate himself.

It came after the court heard Hodgess made "unusually frank admissions" to police about being addicted to looking at pictures of prepubescent girls' genitalia and had fought the compulsion for more than a decade.

However, the judge noted there was no suggestion of a commercial motive or any distribution of the material and accepted he was genuinely remorseful.

"You have lost your career as a teacher," Judge Martin remarked.

"Your reputation has been ruined and you will be publicly shamed."

"Obviously all of this is a form of substantial punishment."

It came after defence barrister Dan Rogers told the court the loss of Hodgess' teaching career was a "direct consequence" of the criminal charges.

He said his client was now studying to be an accountant and had a number of positive influences in his life.

But Crown prosecutor Susan Hedge had pushed for actual time in custody given the seriousness of the offences.

The fact the images were downloaded over a period of 10 days showed Hodgess' conduct wasn't a mere "slip" or one-off, she said.

In sentencing him for both counts, Judge Martin imposed conditions including a $2000 good behaviour bond lasting a period of four years and two-year supervision by a probation officer.

His 12-month term was also suspended for a period of four years.

The charges against Hodgess were laid following a Queensland Crime and Corruption Commission investigation.